Vapor dispensing device

ABSTRACT

A device for dispensing a vaporizing composition to the surrounding atmosphere characterized by a hollow tubular body with end members sealing the open ends and apertures through the end members, a porous core member impregnated with a vaporizing composition, having a multiplicity of passages defined through the core member communicating between the end members and having end surfaces displaced from the end members, and a mounting means to maintain the device in a position such that there is free access of the atmosphere through the apertures of both ends. The device provides a continuous dispensing of a vaporizing composition and can provide a greatly increased dosage to the atmosphere as required from time to time. One specific feature of a preferred embodiment of our invention is a pumping means to further aid in rapid dispensing of vapors. A primary application is the deodorizing of a room.

United States Patent n91 Thornton et al.

[ Feb. 5, 1974 4] VAPOR DISPENSING DEVICE [75] Inventors: James C.Thornton; Donald E. Whyte, both of Racine, Wis.

[52] US. Cl. 239/55, 239/59 [51] Int. Cl A611 9/04 [58] Field of Search239/34, 53-59; 181/46, 56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,950,502 3/1934 Madan .L239/53 x 2,038,071 4/1936 Wilhelm 239/59 X 2,111,025 3/1938 Galler239/57 X 2,578,827 12/1951 Munnecke 239/55 2,609,230 9/1952 Raleigh239/59 X 2,738,224 3/1956 Turner et a1 239/57 2,738,225 3/1956 239/552,801,879 8/1957 239/34 3,104,816 9/1963 Jaffe 239/58 X FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 464,850 4/1937 Great Britain 239/56 PrimaryExaminer-Robert S. Ward, Jr.

57 ABSTRACT A device for dispensing a vaporizing composition to thesurrounding atmosphere characterized by a hollow tubular body with endmembers sealing the open ends and apertures through the end members, aporous core member impregnated with a vaporizing composition, having amultiplicity of passages defined through the core member communicatingbetween the end members and having end surfaces displaced from the endmembers, and a mounting means to maintain the device in a position suchthat there is free access of the atmosphere through the apertures ofboth ends. The device provides a continuous dispensing of a vaporizingcomposition and can provide a greatly increased dosage to the atmosphereas required from time to time. One specific feature of a preferredembodiment of our invention is a pumping means to further aid in rapiddispensing of vapors. A primary application is the deodorizing of aroom.

27 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 5:914

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. 1 VAPOR DISPENSING DEVICE This invention relates generally to devicesfor dispensing vaporized compositions to the surrounding atmosphere. Theinvention has special application in the field of devices for impartingthe refreshening effect of a vaporized deodorant into the atmosphere.The invention also has application in dispensing insecticides, insectrepellents, medicinal vapors such as decongestants, and other vaporizingcompositions.

The need for effectively combating airborne malodors in homes and inclosed public buildings, by odor masking or destruction iswell-established. Various kinds of dispensing devices for vapors havebeen employed. The most common of such devices is the aerosol airfreshener which propels minute droplets into the air. Another commontype of dispensing device consists of gelled products which slowlyevaporate to emit a deodorant into the atmosphere. Other products suchas deodorant blocks and liquid wicks are alsoused for slowly emittingdeodorant vapors into the atmosphere.

All of these devices have major drawbacks as an approach to the entireproblem of combating airborne malodors. The aerosol device dispensesdeodorant mists or vapors in relatively large quantities over a shortperiod oftime to counteract intense and immediate malodors as are commonin kitchens and bathrooms. They require either manual or timed actuatingdevices-to accomplish spraying in the room or space where the malodorexists. The major drawback of such' devices is that while they caneasily counteract intense and immediate malodors, they are not suitedfor lingering ambient odors which often may normally exist in a closedspace.

Gel or stick type products are generally suitable for this latter typeof odor, namely the continuing lingering malodor. Gel products normallyrequire no attention but automatically dispense a deodorant byevaporation of the gel which contains the deodorant. This dispensing isat a low rate but is often sufficient to counteract common ambientodors. However, the intense and immediate malodor will not besufficiently masked or destroyed by this type of product. Deodorantblock products and liquid wick products present the same disadvantagesas the gel products. That is, they are fairly efficient in combatingambient malodors but do not have the ability to combat immediate andintense malodors.

With our invention, we have provided a device which has the capabilityto successfully counteract both lingering, ambient malodors andimmediate and intense malodors. Our invention provides both constantemission of a vapor and instant increased emission. The device of ourinvention is characterized by a hollow tubular body having end memberswith apertures therethrough, a core member impregnated with a vaporizingcomposition such as a deodorant, the core member providing amultiplicity of passages communicating between the end members andhaving end surfaces displaced from the end members, and a mounting meansto allow free access of the atmosphere to the apertures of both endmembers. The passageways in the impregnated core member are situatedsuch that they are somewhat isolated from the atmosphere yet exposed toconvection currents directed therethrough. This sort of isolation isrequired to make a device which will be sufficiently long-lasting to beof practical value.

Normally, most vaporizing compositions, such as perfumes, wouldrapidly-evaporate from-an impregnated core if exposed to the atmosphere,particularly to convection currents in the atmosphere. However, in thedevice of our invention, such exhaustion of vaporizing composition isgreatly forestalled by the degree of isolation provided. Our inventionis based in part on the discovery that a vaporizing composition, such asa deodorant, which is contained within a porous core member havingpassageways somewhat isolated from the atmosphere, will evaporate slowlyenough that it will last for a practical length of time althoughproviding a continuous emission to the atmosphere. Although we do notwish to be bound by theoretical considerations, we believe that theisolated constricted space adjacent to the impregnated core materialbecomes sufficiently saturated with the vapor being emitted thatvaporization is retarded.

A specific feature of one preferred embodiment of our invention is apump means which is used to aid in providing the aforementionedtemporaryincreased dispensing of vapor. One embodiment of the pump meansinvolves designingthe core member to be freely moveable within thetubular body to assist in displacement of vapor from inside the body.Another embodiment contemplates the use of telescoping tubular membersto form a tubular body.

It is an object of our invention to provide a device for dispensing avaporized composition to the surrounding atmosphere which overcomes theaforementioned problems.

It is another object of our invention to provide a device for dispensinga vaporized composition to the surrounding atmosphere-on either acontinuous low emission basis, or on an immediate emergency basis.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a device fordispensing vaporizing compositions to the surrounding atmosphere whichmay be used in a variety of applications including dispensinginsecticides, insect repellents or medicinal vapors such asdecongestants.

It is yet another object of our invention to provide a device fordispensing vapor to the surrounding atmosphere which has a core memberimpregnated with the vaporizing composition with passageways somewhatisolated from the atmosphere to retard the dispensing of the vapor fromthe composition while allowing complete access of the core member to theatmosphere.

It is still a further object of our invention toprovide a device fordispensing a vaporizing composition to the surrounding atmosphere havinga core member with endsurfaces displaced from end members of a containerto provide the aforementioned isolation while at the same time providingfull accessibility of the atmosphere to the composition within the coremember.

These and other important objects will become apparent from thefollowing descriptions and-from the drawings showing preferredembodiments wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred dispensing device of ourinvention. 1 I

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 along theaxis thereof.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view as in FIG. 3 but further including a sealing memberover the apertures.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial perspective view of one feature of anotherembodiment of our invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view as in FIG. 2 but of a differentembodiment of our invention.

FIG. 7 is another vertical sectional view of still another embodiment ofour. invention. 7

Referring specifically to FIG. 1, a device for dispensing a vaporizedcomposition is shown having a tubular body 22. Body 22 is generallycylindrical in configuration and has a substantially uniformcross-section along its axis. Two end members 24 seal the ends oftubular body 22. In FIG. 1, only the upper end member is shown. Thesectional view of FIG. 2 shows both the upper and lower end members 24.End member 24 de fines apertures 26 which are located generally in thecentral portion thereof, but could be elsewhere in end member 24.

Tubular body 22 and end members 24 form what is essentially a hollowcontainer similar to a food can. A

core member 28 is located within tubular body 22. Core member 28 is atight roll of corrugated cardboard located to have a common axis withtubular body 22. The corrugated cardboard has ridges or groovesextending generally parallel to the axis of core member 28 which formpassageways 30 communicating between the two end members 24. Core member28 has end surfaces 32 which consist of bunched ends of passageways 30.Passageways 30 are somewhat isolated from the atmosphere outside tubularbody member 22. End surfaces 32 are displaced from end members 24 suchthat all of the passageways 30 have exposure to the atmosphere, but fromfairly isolated locations. This displacement is achieved by a uniqueslant cutof a roll of corrugated cardboard. Displacement may be achievedin a variety of other ways, such as by the use of space maintainers inthe form of pins or rings. Preferably apertures 26 will allow onlylimited convection through passageways 30 when device 20 is at rest.

A pedestal 34 provides a mounting means for body member 22 whichmaintainsfree access of the atmosphere through apertures 26 in both endmembers 24. Pedestal 34 has a flange 36 thereabout on which tubular bodymember 22 or the bottom end member may rest. Pedestal 34 has legs 38 toprovide clearance of end member 24 from the surface on which thepedestal 34 rests.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate end member 24 in open and closed positionsrespectively. The closing, as shown in FIG. 4, may. be accomplished bymeans of an impermeable piece of tape 40 being secured over apertures26. Keeping tape on both ends during storage will prevent evaporation ofthe composition from core member 28.

Core member 28 is impregnated with a vaporizing composition. Passageways30 increase the surface area exposed to air to aid in total and steadyevaporation of the composition with which core member 28 is impregnated.Various compositions may be used depending on the purpose for which thedispensing device is intended. For example, deodorant compositions couldbe used to provide an air freshener device. Vaporizing decongestantcompositions could be used to provide a comfortable and/or therapeuticatmosphere for a diseased patient, for example, a patient having a cold.Vaporizing insect repellents or insecticides could be used as well.Specific examples of some preferred compositions for various purposeswill be set forth hereinafter.

If, for example, an air freshener composition is being used, thedispensing apparatus, with its end members having open apertures, willdispense a deodorant vapor to the atmosphere at a continuous slow rate.This sort of deodorant vapor emission will be beneficial to counteractand mask ambient odors. If there is an intense malodor, the device maybe picked up and waived back and forth to increase the air currentsthrough passageways 30. Increasing the air currents will greatlyincrease the rate of vapor emission because vapor already trapped withintubular body 22 will be released to the atmosphere and also because therate of evaporation will increase since the gas in the spaces withinpassageways 30 will have a lower vapor content. It will be appreciatedthat the rate of evaporation is decreased as the gas in contact withparts of core member 28 approaches the point of saturation with thevapor from the composition with which core member 28 is impregnated.

FIG. 5 shows a different embodiment of our invention which includes aregulated flow feature. One or more of end members 24 are flat circularmembers with no apertures in the flat portion but with a multiplicity ofelongated apertures 42 in the skirt portion 44 which extends from theperiphery of the flat portion. By relative axial movement between bodymember 22 and end member 24, apertures 42 may be open to a greater orlesser extent. Bottom edge 46 of tubular body member 22 blocks offapertures 42 by means of a snug sliding fit between body 22 and endmember 24. End member 24 as shown in FIG. 5 maybe-used in combinationwith an end member as shown in FIGS. 14.

No pedestal is necessary for the embodiment of FIG. 5 since apertures 42in end member 24 would not be blocked off by setting the flat surfaceon, for example, a flat table. Thus in this embodiment end member 24also provides a mounting means for body member 22 which maintains freeaccess of the atmosphere through apertures 42. One or both of the endmembers can be in the form shown in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show preferred embodiments of our invention which includemoveable means associated with tubular body 22 to pump vaporizedcomposition from within the tubular body. Referring specifically to FIG.6, it will be noted that core member 28 is loosely fitting within body22. Further, core member 28 is dimensioned with'respect to the tubularbody such that there may be a void space all round body 22 and coremember 28. That is, there is clearance between the sides 48 of coremember 28 and the inside surface 50 of body 22. Further, there issubstantial clearance between end surfaces 32 of core member 28 and endmembers 24. Displacement rings 52 are situated within body 22 betweenends 32 of core member 28 and the adjacent end members 24. However,rings 52 are of an axial dimension small enough to preserve substantialaxial freedom for core member 28. These displacement rings serve tomaintain free access of the atmosphere to all of the passageways throughcore member 28 while leaving them in some isolation from the atmosphere.

By picking up and shaking the device shown in FIG. 6, the emission ofvapors will be increased in two ways. First, the emission will beincreased by an increase in the air flow through core member 28. Also,the relative movement of core member 28 and end members 24 will aid inpumping vapor-containing gas from the free spaces 54 at either endofcore member 28. The pumping action is causedby the relative movementof'end surfaces 32 with end members 24. End surfaces 32, al-

though having passageways,-'function to some degree as the frontsurfaces of pistons to spaces 54. 1.

FIG. 7 shows another'preferred embodiment of our invention having ameans to pump vaporized composition from within tubular body 22. In FIG.7, tubular body 22 has an inner telescoping member 56 and an outertelescoping member 58. Inner telescoping member 56 may be essentiallylike the device shown in FIG. 2, with pedestal 34 removed. Outertelescoping member 58 is in substantially air-tight slidable contactwith inner telescoping member 56. Inner telescoping member 56 has anextreme end 60 and a medial end 62. Outer telescoping member 58 has anextreme end 64 and a medial end 66. Together the telescoping membersform tubular body 22. Extreme ends 60 and 64 are sealed by end members24 which have apertures 26 as previously described. A third end member68 defining apertures 69 is sealed to medial end 62 of inner telescopingmember 56.

displace gas from free By grasping inner telescoping member 56 in onehand and outer telescoping member 58 in another hand, an operator'mayimpart relative axial movement of'members 56 and 58 and provide a typeof pumping action which helps displace vapor within tubular body 22 tothe atmosphere. We have found that an effective pumping action isavailable despite the presence of'apertures 26 in end member 24 of outertelescoping mem-' ber 58.

Sealing members 40 may be placed across apertures 69 in end member 68and apertures 26 in end member 24 which is sealed to extreme end 60.This will prevent evaporation of the vaporizing composition when thedevice is on a store shelf or when it is not being used.

Sealing member 40 could be placed across all three of the end membersshown in the device of FIG. 7, insuring containment of vapors.

The devices of FIGS. 6 and 7, although having special featuresfacilitating rapidemission, are just as suitable for continuous slowemission as is the device shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5.

Various materials may be used in constructing the device of ourinvention. For example, tubular body 22 may be made of tin, steel,aluminum, cardboard, plastie, and a wide'variety of other materials.Preferably, such materials are fairly impermeable to the vapors whichare to be dispensed. Likewise, the end members may be made of variousmetals, cardboard, plastic, etc.

A highly preferred material forcore member 28 is corrugated cardboard,with which we include what is often referred to as corrugated paper.Such corrugated mate rial could be singleor double-fluted or of someother type. However, any material which is fairly porous so that it maybe impregnated with a vaporizing composition and yet providespassageways therethrough is satisfactory. The passageways are notrequired to be generally parallel and axially aligned as is the casewith a convoluted corrugated cardboard which is concentric with body 22,but may be curved, or may be quite random or irregular.

End members 24 and body 22 may be made such that Other methods can be a's'iwell. In some cases, one of end members 24 may be formed integrallywith body It should be pointed out that it is not required that coremember 22 be of any particular configuration. It is only essential thatit is hollow and provides a passage from one end to the other. For easein manufacture, a uniform" cross section and a straight configurationare highly preferred; a circular cylinderispreferred in particular.However, prismatic configurations are also fairly easy to manufacture.It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art who are familiar withour invention that a very broad choice is possible as to materials andshapes.

The end surfaces of the core member may be displaced in a variety ofways. One method not previously mentioned contemplatesforming a roll ofcorrugated cardboard and 'then pushing the center of one end thereof tomake a convex or conical end surface on one end and a similar concave,end surface on the opposite end. I m I v The number of vaporizingcompositions which can be used for various applications is almostlimitless. In the field of air fresheners, it is preferred to use aperfume dissolved in an lsopar solvent. This solution is then eithersprayed into a core member or the core member may be dipped into theliquid solution. It is also possible to use a pure perfume. In the fieldof medicinal uses, camphor may be dissolved in a solvent such as anlsopar. Menthol eucalyptus may be used in the same manner ascamphor.Thymol may also be usedin the same way or may be used in combinationwith camphor or menthol eucalyptus or both in a suitable solvent.

For insecticides, preferred compositions are dimethyl dichlorovinylphosphate and its related compositions. Another is Lindane. Insectrepellents which may be dispensed with the device of our invention areexemplified by 2-ethyl hexanediol, N,N-diethyl toluamide, andcitronella.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that vaporizingcompositions-may be formulated to evaporate at different rates. It isalso possible to usea composition which would emit, for example, onefragrance early in the life of the product and another later in the lifeof the product. It is to be further appreciated that the device of ourinvention will have applications other than those set forth herein. I

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been describedin relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many detailshave been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additionalembodiments and that certain of the de-' a normal seaming process can beused for connection.

tails described herein can be'varied considerably without departing fromthe basic principles of the invention.

We claim:

1. A device for dispensing a vaporizing composition to the surroundingatmosphere, comprising: a hollow, tubular body having two ends; two endmembers sealing said ends, each of said end members defining at leastone aperture therethrough; a core member within said body impregnatedwith said vaporizing composition, said core member defining amultiplicity of passages communicating between said end members andhaving end surfaces displaced from said end members; and mounting meansfor said body member maintaind'rical Configuration.

3. The deviceof claim 2 whereinsaid core member comprises convolutedcorrugated cardboard concen tric with said body.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein at least one of said end members has asubstantially flat portion normal to the axis of said body, said portiondefining said apertures.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said core member has at least one endslant cut with respect to said axis and said 'flat portion.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said displacement is achieved byspacing means between said end members and said core members.

7. The device of claim 2 wherein said mounting means comprises apedestal connected to one of said end members.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein at least one of said end members isslidably sealed to said body and has apertures positioned to beadjustably'closed by relative axial movement of said end member and saidbody.

9. The device of claim 1 further includingmeans to seal said apertures.

10. The device of claim 1 further including movable means associatedwith said tubular body to pump vaporized composition from within saidbody. V

11. The device of claim wherein said pump means scoping member is longerthan said outer telescoping member.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein said apertures in said end memberattached to said outer telescoping member are located in a position suchthat they can be adjustably closed by relative axial movement of saidtelescoping members.

17. The device of claim 13 wherein said core member comprises'convolutedcorrugated cardboard concencomprises said core member being ofdimensions with respect to said tubular body such that void space isdefined completely therearound when said core member is in a centralposition in said body, thereby allowing free movement of said coremember within said body.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein said body is of substantially uniformcross-section along an axis.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said tubular body comprises inner andouter telescoping members in substantially air-tight slidable contact,each of said telescoping members having an extreme and a medial end,said end members sealingsaid extreme ends.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said inner telescoping member has athird end member sealing its media] end, said third end member definingapertures therethrough. r g

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said inner teletric with said body.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein at least one of said end membersattached to saidinner telescoping member has a substantially flatportion normal to the axis of said body, said portion defining saidapertures therein. v

19. The device of claim 18 wherein saidcore member has at least one endslant cut with'respect to said axis and said flat portion.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein said displacement is achieved byspacing means between said end members and said core members.

21. The device of claim 13 wherein said mounting means comprises apedestal attached to one of said extreme ends. I 1 l 22. The device'ofclaim 13 furthenincluding'means to seal said apertures.

23 A device for dispensing a vaporizing composition to the surroundingatmosphere, comprisingza closed. hollow body having two opposite endportions each defining at least one aperture therethrough; a core memberwithin said body impregnated with said vaporizing composition, said coremember defining a multiplicity of passages communicating between saidopposite end portions and having end surfaces displaced from saidopposite end portions; and mounting means for said hollow body tomaintain free access of the atmosphere through the apertures of both ofsaid end portions.

v 24. The device of claim 23 wherein said core member comprisesconvoluted corrugated cardboard.

26. The device of claim23 further including means v to seal saidapertures.

27. The device of claim 24 wherein the core member has at least one endslant cut with respect to said end portions of said closed hollow body.l l k 4 l I

1. A device for dispensing a vaporizing composition to the surroundingatmosphere, comprising: a hollow, tubular body having two ends; two endmembers sealing said ends, each of said end members defining at leastone aperture therethrough; a core member within said body impregnatedwith said vaporizing composition, said core member defining amultiplicity of passages communicating between said end members andhaving end surfaces displaced from said end members; and mounting meansfor said body member maintaining free access of the atmosphere throughthe apertures of both of said end members.
 2. The device of claim 1wherein said body is of cylindrical configuration.
 3. The device ofclaim 2 wherein said core member comprises convoluted corrugatedcardboard concentric with said body.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein atleast one of said end members has a substantially flat portion normal tothe axis of said body, said portion defining said apertures.
 5. Thedevice of claim 4 wherein said core member has at least one end slantcut with respect to said axis and said flat portion.
 6. The device ofclaim 3 wherein said displacement is achieved by spacing means betweensaid end members and said core members.
 7. The device of claim 2 whereinsaid mounting means comprises a pedestal connected to one of said endmembers.
 8. The device of claim 2 wherein at least one of said endmembers is slidably sealed to said body and has apertures positioned tobe adjustably closed by relative axial movement of said end member andsaid body.
 9. The device of claim 1 further including means to seal saidapertures.
 10. The device of claim 1 further including movable meansassociated with said tubular body to pump vaporized composition fromwithin said body.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein said pump meanscomprises said core member being of dimensions with respect to saidtubular body such that void space is defined completely therearound whensaid core member is in a central position in said body, thereby allowingfree movement of said core member within said body.
 12. The device ofclaim 10 wherein said body is of substantially uniform cross-sectionalong an axis.
 13. The device of claim 12 wherein said tubular bodycomprises inner and outer telescoping members in substantially air-tightslidable contact, each of said telescoping members having an extreme anda medial end, said end members sealing said extreme ends.
 14. The deviceof claim 13 wherein said inner telescoping member has a third end membersealing its medial end, said third end member defining aperturestherethrough.
 15. The device of claim 14 wherein said inner telescopingmember is longer than said outer telescoping member.
 16. The device ofclaim 13 wherein said apertures in said end member attached to saidouter telescopinG member are located in a position such that they can beadjustably closed by relative axial movement of said telescopingmembers.
 17. The device of claim 13 wherein said core member comprisesconvoluted corrugated cardboard concentric with said body.
 18. Thedevice of claim 17 wherein at least one of said end members attached tosaid inner telescoping member has a substantially flat portion normal tothe axis of said body, said portion defining said apertures therein. 19.The device of claim 18 wherein said core member has at least one endslant cut with respect to said axis and said flat portion.
 20. Thedevice of claim 17 wherein said displacement is achieved by spacingmeans between said end members and said core members.
 21. The device ofclaim 13 wherein said mounting means comprises a pedestal attached toone of said extreme ends.
 22. The device of claim 13 further includingmeans to seal said apertures.
 23. A device for dispensing a vaporizingcomposition to the surrounding atmosphere, comprising a closed hollowbody having two opposite end portions each defining at least oneaperture therethrough; a core member within said body impregnated withsaid vaporizing composition, said core member defining a multiplicity ofpassages communicating between said opposite end portions and having endsurfaces displaced from said opposite end portions; and mounting meansfor said hollow body to maintain free access of the atmosphere throughthe apertures of both of said end portions.
 24. The device of claim 23wherein said core member comprises convoluted corrugated cardboard. 25.The device of claim 23 wherein said mounting means comprises a pedestalconnected to one of said opposite end portions.
 26. The device of claim23 further including means to seal said apertures.
 27. The device ofclaim 24 wherein the core member has at least one end slant cut withrespect to said end portions of said closed hollow body.